I have eaten at Honey & Co in London’s Fitzrovia on several occasions since its opening in 2012 but it has been a while since my last visit. With a few hours to spare before catching a train from nearby Euston station it made the perfect location for breakfast.
Owners Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich have created a wonderful cafe/restaurant in which to serve their fantastic Middle Eastern food. its only small but it is now possible to make a reservation so that does take away some of the uncertainty at busy times. Just across the road is Honey & Spice, a deli/grocery shop where you can buy everything you need to create recipes from the three cookery books that they have now written. If grilled food is your fancy you can now head off to nearby Great Portland Street where they have opened Honey & Smoke. So you have plenty of choice in the area.
The breakfast menu may not be overly long but its not lacking in wonderful things to start your day. Spoilt for choice, we opted for The Big Breakfast and forgo the need for lunch while travelling.
Start with a breakfast meze including freshly baked breads, the smoothest, creamiest hummus I’ve ever tasted, labenah, tomato and feta salad and yogurt with berries and granola. It all looked and tasted superb.
Where to begin?
While you are working your way through these delights your choice of egg dish is being prepared. These are also quite substantial so there is not much of a chance you will leave hungry.
A sausage roll of two Merguez sausages served with marinated tomatoes, harissa and a hardboiled Cornish farm egg.
Green Shakshuka. Two Cornish farm eggs baked in spinach and herbs, served with goat’s yogurt and a sesame bagel. This was fantastic.
We drank freshly squeezed orange juice and several cups of rather fine coffee. Honey & Co is cooking from the heart. We walked to Euston station rather slowly after such a magnificent breakfast. I heartily recommend a visit here.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is located in the city of Oswiecim, which is 37 miles/60 KM east of Kraków. We visited the site on a grey and damp day in early September and the weather seemed totally appropriate for a visit to a place where well over a million people were put to their deaths by the Nazis in The Holocaust. It is not an easy place to visit and is not recommended for children under fourteen years of age. Having said that it does attract over 2 million visitors a year, the vast majority of which are respectful of the history of this place and what it represents. On the day we visited I did personally feel that some were taking photographs in a manner that could have been better however thankfully there were very much in the minority.
Entry to Auschwitz-Birkenau is free but a charge is made for a group tour with a guide. During the busy months only guided tours of the two sites are allowed. I would recommend a guided tour if you are to fully learn about the history, the buildings and exhibits you will see. Our guide had a group of about 30 and used a headphone guiding system so that everyone could hear clearly. She moved around us around the site and ensured that we were together at all times. The site was very busy, with many guided groups, and we had to wait a short while to access some of the barracks where the exhibitions are located. She filled these periods with informative comment and the opportunity for questions. I admire the work of these guides very much. I imagine that it must be difficult giving such harrowing account of the horrors of Auschwitz everyday.
The tour covers the main two sites;
Auschwitz I – this is the main camp and the place where all tours and visits begin. It was opened in 1940 and was originally used for political prisoners. It consists of 28 brick built barracks and other buildings.
Auschwitz II Birkenau – opened as an extermination in 1941. Over one million people died in Auschwitz, most of them in Birkenau. It is much bigger than the main camp but many of its buildings are no longer standing. The two camps are a couple of kilometres apart and are linked by a shuttle bus which runs regularly throughout the day. If you are on a tour from Kraków your minibus/coach will take you between the camps.
There was also a third camp, Auschwitz III Monowitz which was principally a labour camp. This was destroyed after the war and so is not included on any visits.
Before the tour begins you pass through an airport style security check. Bags larger than 30x20x10 cms are not allowed into the camp and must be left at the baggage drop or on your minibus/coach. Cameras are permitted but flash is not and there are a number of locations where you are requested by your guide not to take any photographs at all. These include the room containing human hair and the basement off block 11 where prisoners were tortured. Personally I decided that I was not going to take any photographs of the exhibits on display in the barracks of the main site, it didn’t seem right.
The tour begins walking through the main gates of the main camp. This is through the iron gates containing the inscription “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work Sets You Free) and onto the area where prisoners would be assembled for roll call and announcements. You are shown the place where the camp orchestra would play marching music as the prisoners would file past as you move down the roadway towards the barracks that are open to visitors. There are trees growing in the camp but this was not the case when it was in operation.
The permanent exhibition was first opened in 1955 and is located in barrack blocks 4, 5, 6, 7 and 11.
Block 4 deals with details of extermination. There are some informative signs, maps and displays but perhaps the most harrowing is the room of hair shaved from the heads of prisoners and the tins of Zyklon B poison which was used in the gas chambers.
Block 5 contains displays of some of the personal items collected from prisoners including glasses, combs, brushes, shoes and nearly 4000 suitcases many of which are named. There is also a collection of prostheses taken from disabled prisoners.
Block 6 details the life of prisoners. The main corridor of this block is lined with enlarged camp photographs of prisoners each detailing their date of birth, occupation, date of arrival and date of death. I found this particularly moving and I was struck by the empty look in the eyes of many.
Block 7 creates some of the living conditions experienced in the camp.
Block 11 was the punishment block and the place where prisoners were tortured and experimented on. The basement contains punishment cells some of which were standing cells where prisoners were left standing in an extremely small space in darkness overnight and then expected to work the following day before being taken back to the cell again. Photographs are not allowed here.
Block 11 leads to the Wall of Death where thousands of prisoners, including many Poles, were shot. The wall you see now is a reconstruction and is a place of remembrance for those that died. You are asked to observe silence here.
The final part of the tour of the main camp is the gas chamber. Partly reconstructed but much is original. It felt uncomfortable here and I was amazed to see some people taking photographs. As a mark of respect I don’t personally think anyone should.
The tour ends here and you can visit the shop, toilets and refreshment areas before departing for Birkenau. What strikes you immediately is the enormous size of this camp, though much has been demolished. You enter through the main gate through which the railway line that brought prisoners in cattle trucks to the camp arrived. You are taken to the ramp, the place where selection of the newly arrived prisoners was undertaken. Those sent to the right were sent for work, to the left they were sent immediately to the gas chambers at the far end of the camp. An original cattle truck used for transport stands here as a mark of remembrance.
The gas chambers and crematoria here were destroyed by the Nazis in an attempt to hide what had gone on here but you can see where they were. The camp was liberated by the Russians in January 1945, by that time many of the prisoners had been marched out of the camp by their captors on what is known as The Death March as so many did not survive.
Only the barrack chimneys remain in most of the camp
Some buildings do remain and you can get a glimpse of what life was like here. Birkenau was really a collection of camps within the whole, a womens camp, family camp, mens camp and Gypsy camp. People were crowded together in barracks with many sharing the same sleeping bunk.
Opening Times
This varies by month and it is well worth checking before you go. Currently opening is as follows;
7.30 – 14.00. December
7.30 – 15.00 January and November
7.30 – 16.00. February
7.30 – 17.00. March and October
7.30 – 18.00. April, May and September
7.30 – 19.30. July and August
These are last times of entry as you are then allowed 90 minutes to visit. this means that in December you must complete your visit by 15.30. Purchasing tickets in advance is probably advisable. If you take an organised tour from Krakow this is included in the tour price.
Getting There
Buses depart from the MDA bus station next to Kraków Glowny railway station. Buses run fairly frequently with a journey time of one hour forty five minutes to Oswiecim. There is then a ten minute walk to the main camp.
Trains depart Kraków Glowny with a journey time of between one and a half and two and a half hours depending on the particular train. Trains do not take the most direct route to Oswiecim. There is a twenty minute walk from. the railway station to the main camp.
By car it is a journey of seventy five minutes from Kraków to the camp. There is plenty of parking at the site.
Many people choose an organised tour from Kraków and there are many companies offering them. Tours are a seven hour round trip and included guiding fees on arrival at Auschwitz-Birkenau and transfer between the two camps.
The good news is that you can eat and drink in Kraków relatively cheaply which is excellent news if you are on a budget. It is perfectly possible to eat a simple two course meal for less than £5 and be more than satisfied with what you had. Eat Polish food if you want the best value and bargains, eating local dishes is one of the reasons I like to travel and I am sure that’s the case for many. If you like some variety there are restaurants offering a range of different cuisines from around the world as wells more fine dining options. The choice is yours. Here are some favourites from a recent visit to the city.
OLD TOWN
Pod Wawelem (Gertrudy 26-29). Close to Wawel Castle this is traditional Polish food served in a beer hall style setting. There is seating in a conservatory if you prefer something a little quieter. Portions here are very generous and you are unlikely to leave hungry. Beer served in steins is a speciality here and very good it is too, cold and refreshing after a day seeing the sights.
Milkbar Tomasza (Tomasza 24). Milkbars were popular and a common sight throughout Poland in the communist era as they offered cheap and filling food for workers. Since the fall of communism they have declined in number but Tomasza is still going strong. Order at the counter and your meal will be delivered to your table quite quickly. Expect good quality Polish food with the modern addition of paninis on offer. Milkbars do not traditionally serve alcohol and Tomasza is no exception.
U Babci Maliny (Stawkowska 17). Not the easiest place to find but well worth the effort. You must go through the building into the courtyard in the middle and then down the stairs to the basement where you will find the restaurant. It is well signposted along the way. The decor is fantastic and the food excellent. Seating is on benches at communal tables but don’t let that put you off. Order at the counter and they give you a ticket with a number. Wait until your number appears on the digital display and collect from the counter.
Gospoda Koko (Golebia 8). Close to the main square this charming restaurant offers quality local food at very affordable prices. Its much bigger than it appears, although there are relatively few tables as you enter from the street there is masses of additional seating downstairs. Once again order at the counter and food will be brought to your table. If you want alcoholic drinks you have to go to the downstairs bar for them and you can then take them to your table upstairs.
Stoccaggio Wine Bar (Krupnicza 9). Wine bar just east of the Old Town serving mainly European Wines and small plates. The wine by the glass list here is by grape variety so you are not really sure what you are going to get but the choices were fine on our visit. You can also buy wine to take away here as well.
House of Beer (Swietego Tomasza 35). If craft beer is your thing this is the place for you. With twelve taps and a huge choice of bottles there is something for everyone here. It certainly gets busy here but if its full at street level they open the downstairs area which is huge with very comfortable seating. Food here is also very good with burgers, hot wings and nachos on the menu.
Kuchnia u Doroty (Augustiańska 4). Light and airy restaurant with some excellent local food, I particularly enjoyed the potato pancakes with goulash and there were many other interesting dishes on offer. It is full table service here and diners are served a complementary fruit juice on arrival which I thought was a very nice touch.
Alchemia (Estery 5). A cafe by day and a bar come evening time. Don’t expect to do some quiet reading of your guide book here as its dimly lit and has a shabby chic vibe which works really well. A great place to stop off for a beer before heading off to dinner.
Krako Slow Wines (Lipowa 6). Called after a visit to Oskar Schindlers Factory as its next door and was not disappointed. Serving natural wines, beers and a nice selection of dishes for both lunch and dinner. Staff are knowledgeable and very helpful when choosing wines. Wish I could have spent more time here.
